From mid-June until mid-September John Diefenbaker and the Progressive Conservative opposition filibustered the flag debate in the House of Commons, delaying government business. Two basic arguments were brought forward in opposition to the proposed flag. One group argued in favour of the Canadian Red Ensign, the flag that Canadians had fought and died for in the Second World War. Others insisted that any new flag should bear the traditional symbols of the Union Jack and the fleur-de-lis, perhaps with a maple leaf as well. Government supporters replied that the gravestones of soldiers all featured the maple leaf and that the traditional symbols no longer accurately represented the makeup of the Canadian people.
